Thyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.

Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.

A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.

CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

When I was a kid The Snow Queen was one of my favorite fairy tales. Now Hans Christian Andersen did not write stories that gave you warm fuzzies, he wrote stories that taught you a lesson and often the decisions made by the characters are a testament to love. I thought Vicki Weavil impressed me with Crown of Ice and her retelling of the original tale. I could tell that this was someone who loved and appreciated the original story.

The Snow Queen is not a sweet person. As much as a I love Frozen, it is in true Disney fashion to change the story and keep only the original essence. I like that Thyra is cold and distant. Her heart frozen by the palace she lives in. Thyra is also a very logical person which is another reason I think she comes across as stiff and unfeeling. You see glimpses of her heart in her regrets but she often throws them off and pushes on consumed by the task at hand. Consumed by her desire to survive. Even though Thyra is almost eighteen it’s almost like she is a child as far as social interaction goes. She has lived the majority of her life with only cruel people that only need her and don’t love her.

I love that Vicki use the original names for Gerda and Kai. I also like how much to my dismay she keeps Gerda’s influence in the story the same. In the original tale I loved Gerda, in this story I want her to go back to the village because I was rooting for Thyra to prevail. It was great that so much of the story is kept in tact.

Yay for Sepia and I’m glad she has a strong presence. When I was a kid I loved the garden that was never touched by the winter and had spring all year round. I was so glad that was worked into this story.

So as far as reworking the original tale, you can tell I loved that. I also loved the way this story is presented. I liked the new twist to it and giving The Snow Queen a different ending. That Kai isn’t just a frozen zombie in the story.

I really loved this retelling. I loved that it still had the same vibe but a more updated and romantic influence. Of course I also like that love plays a major role and that romantic love is not the only important kind.

The original The Snow Queen is actually one of my personal favorite fairy tales. What inspired you to do a retelling?

I actually saw (on Twitter) a discussion about fairy tale retellings, and several people talked about telling tales from the villain’s point-of-view. That idea intrigued me, so I considered my favorite fairy tales with that concept in mind. “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen is actually one of my personal favorites, and certain themes in the story leant themselves to a story I felt I could write.

Your other works are rooted in Sci-Fi what made you decide to do a retelling?

My love for fantasy is actually equal to my love for science fiction. Having written two books in an adult scifi trilogy (the third is on hold until my agent and I decide to submit the first book) I wanted to try writing something in a different genre and age category. I like to experiment, and will probably write other books that fall into different genres. To me, the story I need to tell dictates the genre, rather than the other way around.

What is your personal favorite fairy tale and if you were going to write another retelling which one do you think you would do?

“The Snow Queen” is my personal favorite. If I write additional retellings, the first one will be a companion novel to CROWN OF ICE, using a “mash-up” of H. C. Andersen’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” and “The Ugly Duckling.” (It is, in fact, already outlined!)

With a background in Theater do you think it influences how you write?

It does. I studied a lot of plays, including analyzing them as a costume designer. I think this practice has aided my ability to plot my books. I also tend to visualize scenes, and always consider the need to have a specific arc for the book in terms of the rise and fall of action.

If you could have any talent/job in the world besides writing. what would it be?

I would love to be a filmmaker. I think many stories can be told better in the film medium than the print medium. I’ve always enjoyed art, so I think the ability to tell stories visually would be amazing.

How do you read? Audiobook, Ereader, Phsyical Book?

I tend to prefer physical books, but I read some on an Ereader. I really don’t care for audio books, partially because I can read a lot faster than anyone can speak.

Did you have any input into your covers?

Yes, I did. I was able to discuss the cover with my publishing team and offer my opinion and suggestions. I think Month9Books has such wonderful covers partially because they publisher works so closely with authors.

Describe your book in 5 words.

Dark YA Snow Queen retelling.

Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university. Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

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comments:

Oh you're so luck to have read the original Snow Queen! I never did growing up and reading Crown of Ice really made me wish I was familiar with the source material. From what you said in your review, I have a feeling that when I read The Snow Queen, I'll be re-reading Crown of Ice after to compare :D Glad you enjoyed this one too and thanks for the lovely review ^^